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plankton

[ plangk-tuhn ]

noun

  1. the aggregate of passively floating, drifting, or somewhat motile organisms occurring in a body of water, primarily comprising microscopic algae and protozoa.


plankton

/ plæŋkˈtɒnɪk; ˈplæŋktən /

noun

  1. the organisms inhabiting the surface layer of a sea or lake, consisting of small drifting plants and animals, such as diatoms Compare nekton
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012


plankton

/ plăngktən /

  1. Small organisms that float or drift in great numbers in bodies of salt or fresh water. Plankton is a primary food source for many animals, and consists of bacteria, protozoans, certain algae, cnidarians, tiny crustaceans such as copepods, and many other organisms.
  2. Compare benthos


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Derived Forms

  • planktonic, adjective
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Other Words From

  • plank·ton·ic [plangk-, ton, -ik], adjective
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Word History and Origins

Origin of plankton1

1890–95; < German, special use of neuter of Greek planktós drifting, equivalent to plang-, variant stem of plázesthai to drift, roam, wander + -tos verbid suffix
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Word History and Origins

Origin of plankton1

C19: via German from Greek planktos wandering, from plazesthai to roam
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Example Sentences

These sensors can relay information about the concentration of plankton in the water, how much they are growing and respiring, the amount of oxygen they’re producing and carbon dioxide they’re uptaking.

The results for hydra and plankton extend Thompson’s analysis of whole organisms.

Andersen is now developing plankton simulator software based on the underlying physical ideas to provide estimates of plankton diversity and function under different ocean conditions.

At a glance, these xenobots might be mistaken for other microscopic aquatic animals — amoebas or plankton or Giardia parasites — swimming here and there with apparent agency.

As the fleas feed on plankton that consume algae, algae blooms begin to sprout up across a lake.

Jellyfish eat the eggs and larvae of other species higher on the food chain, as well as the plankton that those larvae would eat.

Plankton, those wily producers of every second breath of oxygen you breath, will be naked and vulnerable.

Both fish and plankton are consumed by humpback whales as well as by other predators.

By autumn, plankton concentrations diminish as light and nutrient levels decrease.

The same method is followed by the pretty radiolaria which live floating (as plankton) at various depths of the sea.

Nine tenths of the species are marine; of these some are pelagic, and their transparent forms constitute a part of the plankton.

The expedition made significant observations of the role of plankton in the biological utilization of ocean fallout.

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